Oregon Campers More Likely to Camp Alone, and for Free

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Mar 28, 2024, 08:33 ET

PORTLAND, Ore., March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dyrt, the No. 1 app for camping availability, photos and reviews, found in its 2024 Camping Report presented by The All-New Toyota Tacoma that a third (33.5%) of Oregon campers camped alone in 2023, a rate that's 12% higher than the national average.

Also, nearly three quarters of Oregon campers found and enjoyed free camping in 2023, which is 16% greater than the average throughout the U.S. For this year's annual report, The Dyrt, which is based in Portland, took a closer look at three iconic West Coast camping states — Oregon, California and Washington.

"The Dyrt guided us to an awesome, small dispersed campground where we were the only folks for a couple nights midweek," says The Dyrt camper Joan R. of Oregon. "It was the quietest place I've been since camping as a kid WAY BACK in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. With the purchase of a new travel trailer that's well suited to off-grid, we're enjoying dispersed camping a lot more by having some of the amenities with fewer of the humans."

With extensive coastline, forests, mountains and desert, Oregon has an abundance of settings to enjoy camping and activities like hiking, climbing, kayaking, swimming and skiing. It's an easy place to get away for a camping trip by yourself or with others. Some settings are so compelling, you may just stay.

"My wife and I were living south of Portland and knew we wanted to move to central Oregon," says The Dyrt camper Aly M. "We found some awesome dispersed camping using The Dyrt, packed up our gear and our dogs, and headed to a few spots in central Oregon to get a feel for the area. Well, that trip convinced us to move and a few months later we were living just south of Bend."

Another finding about Oregon in the 2024 Camping Report is that vanlife is still going strong, with 12.7% identifying camper vans as their primary camping type. That rate is 70% higher than the average American camper. Among those Oregon vanlifers are The Dyrt founders Sarah Smith and Kevin Long, who ran the company remotely for six months as they traveled the country in their camper van.

"We camped across the entire country with the idea in the back of our minds that we might find a new place to live," says Smith. "Ultimately, we came back to Oregon in part because of the abundance of dispersed camping options."

About The Dyrt

The Dyrt is the only comprehensive camping app with over 12 million user-generated reviews, photos and tips for RV sites, cabins, glamping and tent camping locations, including all public, private and free camping areas in the United States. The Dyrt is how campers find and book camping of any type anywhere in the U.S. With The Dyrt PRO, campers get reservations at sold-out campgrounds, advanced maps, discounts on camping and more. The Dyrt is the most downloaded camping app in both the iOS and Android app stores. The Dyrt helps millions of campers find "camping near me" — download The Dyrt app today.